Is The New Snapchat Update Going To Push Users To Instagram Stories?

Maxwell Arizin

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On Tuesday, Snapchat released its latest update. In the update, Snapchat removed the critical feature of the auto advance, which allows users to quickly scroll through their friends’ stories without missing a beat on what’s going on in their lives. With the new update, Snapchat only allows users to set up a playlist by tapping on all their friends’ stories one at a time, essentially defeating the purpose of stories.

A few months ago, Instagram introduced Instagram Stories. Many users called it a blatant ripoff of Snapchat stories, however, the recent update to Snapchat may change their tune. The setup for Instagram stories mirrors previous versions of Snapchat, save for a few cosmetic differences. You post pictures that you’ve taken within the last 24 hours and your friends can scroll through all your stories at a fast pace. With users’ best Snapchats usually making it to their Instagram, it is easy to see why annoyed Snapchatters may switch to Instagram stories on a permanent basis.

The whole joy of the auto advance feature on Snapchat was that it allowed people to keep track of what their friends were doing, regardless of how far away they were or how long their stories were. It let them know that no matter the distance, there was still a vested interest in the friendship. With that now gone it will be interesting to see how many Snapchat users make the switch to Instagram stories, and continue to use the app exclusively.